Bible Thumper and Government Intervention?
Separation of church and state has always been a hot button issue. Religion in general seems to be becoming an increasingly more sensitive topic to approach. A lot of people heavily debate over the gray area issue of what the appropriate boundary between religion and government is. Lets start by defining what exactly religion is?
According to dictionary.com, religion is defined as “ a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.”
I personally come from a Christian background. I grew up in a Christian household, and then when I was 12 years old, my dad became the associate pastor of a church in West Virginia. I attended a Christian school and was (obviously, now being a pastors kid) highly involved in my church. I have not been sheltered however. I have seen the world and the heartache that comes with it. I also have many unsaved friends and family members. I have seen the public and government interaction with the church and all that comes with that. With this said, I have a formed (and reformed) my opinion of the church and state relationship over the years.
To me, this is a two-fold issue. One of the issues this brings about, is the role of the family. To what extent is government involvement acceptable, and when does it cross the line? It is a double-edged sword really. If parents are doing their job, the children are taken care of, and all is well. In that case the government should not be involved. If the parents are unable to meet the needs of sustaining a child, than I would argue that it is the churches role to step in. If the local church is not doing its job, than who is left but the government. On the other hand, the government intervention allows an excuse for parents and others to not be held to the high standard of parenthood. It allows an escape, because the child is still cared for even if the parents do not feel like it, or whatever the reason may be. This directly impacts the church, because it is not only made up of families, but also is impacted by the communities. Another aspect is that it is the churches job to care for orphans and widows, not the governments. James 1:27 tells us, “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” The government steps in with child services all the time. However, where is the church? It is not acceptable for the local church to be M.I.A. when it comes to these issues. If all local churches are reaching out to their community and taking care of them, then the government intervention is no longer needed or desired. Unfortunately, this is not usually the case. Therefore, the government is left to pick up the left behind pieces.
Lets transition to widows now. We are also called to care for them. However, both the church and government are lacking in this area. 1 Timothy 5:3 tells us, “Honor widows who are widows indeed”. In that time and culture the family was the first line of defense for widows. They were to take care of them and provide for them, now that the widows cannot do so for themselves. If there was no family left for them, than it again falls on the church’s responsibility. According to sapling.com the U.S. government does not specifically provide grants for widows. There are very few ways such as social security or low-income benefits that might apply to some widows, depending on their spouses previous income and savings and what have you. Therefore, the government does not a viable source of help either.
The other issue brought up is laws enforced on the church. I think of the recent issue of the LGBTQ movement that was fighting for the right to enter any bathroom or locker room of their pleasing. It raised many issues and fighting for both sides. This ultimately, was left to the states to decide for themselves. The law, if the state passed it, was enforced on small businesses and large businesses alike. However, since the church is separate from the state, they got the option of whether they wanted to submit to it or not. This is an awesome benefit of the separation. It is not a matter of religious preferences or appeals. A Christian, small or large business owner, could not combat this rule, by appealing to their religious concerns. However, the church is exempt.
This battle seems to be a prime example of conflict theory. There are two groups, representing two different sides. One sides is said to be the LGBTQ community and the other side is the “Conservative lawmakers”. There is an issue of control and power struggle presented by comments like Hughes. Hughes is just one of the many people who feel this way. However, there are many people supporting the “conservative” side as well. It was alarming to me how many people formed their opinion with out properly being informed. I found this video to be very interesting when it came to this issue.
If we had people like this in the church who were this easily swayed, then churches all over america would allow anything and everything into their doors. In 1 Peter 3:15 it tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.” Another verse found in 1 Corinthians 3:11 which says, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” This means that we need to know what we believe and stick to it. The only foundation that lasts is based on Jesus, not tradition or new trends.
We need to be wise on what we allow close to us as Christians. I like to think of it as if we were standing on a table. Bad influences and unsaved friends are on the floor by the table. We reach out to try to pull them up on top of the table with us, rather they pull us off much easier. It is possible to get them unto the table with us, rather it is much more likely for them to pull us down. This applies to many things and influences that we allow close to us or surrounding us. John 17:16 gives us foundation for this when it says, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” Applying this to the church, we need to be cautious what laws and regulations we let define us and make ourselves submissive to. We should accept those that follow Biblical guidelines, and not directly contradict it and in return possibly endanger the body of Christ.
Another aspect presented is the impact on government and charity. Stephen A. In the book “Christian Perspectives on Sociology” the authors, Grunlan & Milton Reimer says,“Our economic system needs to be weary of government intervention and regulations, which cause business owners to be less charitable with their money.” This is very true, and in fact can impact the church as well. If people do not like the way the church is ran, they usually reflect that in their giving. Also, if the government starts stepping in telling the church how to run itself then again it may result in less people being charitable. This can potentially be another benefit of the separation of church and state.
Furthermore, there are tons of verses for support of this separation of church and state. Mark 12:17 tells us, “Jesus said to them, ‘Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they marveled at him.” Other places to look for support are, Acts 5:29, which says, “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” Other places are 1 John 5:19, and 1 Peter 2:13–17. There are many other supports for this, but above are just a few mentioned.
Over all, this is a highly debated subject, yet this I would say there is a clear cut response that Christians should have to this topic.
